1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to security systems and, more particularly, to a system for preventing unauthorized removal of portable consumer articles from a specified area.
2. Background Art
Prevention of theft of merchandise is an ongoing concern of business owners. This is particularly a problem with portable electronic articles such as cameras, tape and CD players, etc. This problem is even more acute in showrooms where portable electronic articles are displayed to be handled and operated by prospective customers.
As one example, video cameras are commonly mounted in a display area and hooked up to video monitors. The prospective customer is allowed to pick up different cameras and normally operate the camera. While this display technique is effective in allowing the prospective customer to test the feel of a camera and identify its operating characteristics and features, it also offers a temptation to a would-be thief.
Heretofore, various systems have been devised to prevent unauthorized removal of such displayed articles. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,667, commonly assigned with this invention, a mechanical restraint system is disclosed. A rigid body is mounted to the article to be monitored and fixedly captures an end of a cable. The other cable end can be suitably anchored at the display location. While this type of system has proven highly effective, the gauge and constitution of the cable may make it prone to being severed by a sophisticated thief who is then free to remove the associated article from the premises without detection.
An electronic version of the system shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,667 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,124, also commonly assigned with the present invention. In the latter system, an electrically conductive path is established between the article being monitored and an apparatus for producing an audible and/or visual alarm signal. Attachment of the body to an article being monitored sets a switch to close the conductive loop. The loop is interrupted by the action of either removing the body from the article or severing the conductor/wire which defines the conductive path. This system has also been highly commercially successful.
While the latter system has been effective in preventing the unauthorized removal of consumer articles, the configuration of some articles which are being monitored introduces additional requirements. Some articles have separable parts, each of which is individually valuable. For example, digital cameras are generally constructed with a main body and a separable lens assembly. Attachment of the security system to the camera body alone leaves unprotected the lens which could be easily separated and removed from the premises without detection.
To defeat this activity, separate electrical and/or mechanical tethers could be employed, one each for the lens and camera body, and each extending back to a stationary anchoring base. In multiple camera displays, a maze of wires may result at the display area. This may introduce set up problems, potentially resulting in the improper activation of the security system. The numerous tethers may produce an unsightly appearance at the display area. Still further, the tethers may become entangled and may interfere with the inspection and operation of the article by a prospective purchaser.